By Vivek Wallace: Countdown to Pacquiao/Mosley will be a 7 part series chronicling key questions as these two legendary figures prepare for arguably the biggest fight of their lives to date. There will be a new segment each of the next six Friday’s, with “Keys to Victory” & “Official Prediction” presented the day of the weigh-in.
In the first of this 7-part series, we examine a question that several fight fans have asked themselves, and any other fight fan or media personality within earshot with a valued opinion. That question: “Can Shane Mosley turn back the clock and shock the world”? As we look back at the illustrious career of ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley, we see both high and low points like any other fighter; but the most intricate details come when you look at the actual time-line such events took place.When you speak along the high notes, it’s safe to say that all but one of Mosley’s great footnotes came much earlier in his career.
After an incredible start to his career as a rising lightweight, Mosley decided to move up in weight to the welterweight ranks, which is where he earned arguably his most career defining victory, which came over Mexican/American great, Oscar De la Hoya.. Other career high notes included a second and more closely contested fight with Oscar, and a pair of victories over Fernando Vargas. Beyond that, when you look at the resume of Mosley, post-De la Hoya II, the plot thickens, as his biggest win came against a man who was dangerous, (Margarito), yet also slow in the foot, and revealed to the press, as his deepest secret had been exposed to the world only moments prior to stepping into the ring the night of January 24, 2009.
During this recent time span, Shane Mosley stood face-to-face with slick Nu-YoRican Luis Collazo, Miguel Cotto, Ricardo Mayorga, Floyd Mayweather jr., and Sergio Mora. Mosley defeated Collazo and later conceded that it was his “toughest opponent to figure out” to that point. This level of toughness was far exceeded when he faced the likes of the other four mentioned. Cotto edged Mosley on points, taking many power-shots, yet landing enough to convince the judges in the end. Ricardo Mayorga took Mosley deeper than most felt he could, yet in the end Mosley squeezed out a KO victory only seconds before the fight ended.
Against Mayweather, Mosley found a way to shine, yet couldn’t sustain the effort, practically shut out on the score card from that point in the 2nd round til the very end; and against Mora, he simply failed to impress earning a Draw on the scorecards.
Critics will look at the losses and recent close efforts and say that Mosley no longer has the “goods” to compete on a high level. Supporters will say his failure to earn the “W” against these men result from the styles he faced. When you look down the middle, there’s no question that Mosley is no longer competing at the level he once did, but when you look at the styles, one great element remains present that has to be considered, which is unorthodox fighting, both in dominant hand used, as well as style.
Throughout Mosley’s career, like most fighters, the jab (particularly with reach and power), along with the southpaw stance have been very difficult puzzles to solve. Vernon Forrest (RIP) presented a height deficit with the jarring jab which Mosley failed to overcome. Although right-handed at birth, by way of trade, Cotto joins Collazo and ‘Winky’ Wright among the group who presented the southpaw challenge, (with or without the jab), and with the exception of Collazo, the other two proved themselves to be too much.
In this case, Pacquiao will have to overcome the same type of height deficit that Mosley has struggled with, but Mosley will be faced with the daunting task of dealing with Pacquiao’s southpaw stance, which is clearly no given.
At it’s best, Pacquiao is nothing short of a deadly assassin with uncanny accuracy. Essentially boxing’s answer to “Billy the Kid”. At age 39 and facing the proverbial ‘west-side’ of his career, Mosley remains one of the more dangerous fighters on the welterweight landscape. Feeling a sense of under-appreciation and anxious to remove doubts of the past, Mosley realizes there’s only one vessel left departing to the destination he so greatly wishes to return. That destination is the reserved echelon of historical greats to be forever remembered by what they did, not what they failed to do when it counted most. On the night of May 7th after the final bell rings, that ‘ship’ will sail. Can Mosley shock the world and cruise off into the ‘sunset’? Absolutely. But he’ll have to defeat the best fighter of this era to do so. Stay tuned.
Tune in next week as the countdown takes a look at the following: “Manny Pacquiao: Man of the Moment, Fighter of the Decade, Legend of all-time?”
(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vivexemail@yahoo.com, 954-292-7346, Youtube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEKWALLACE747), Skype (VITO-BOXING), and Facebook).